Today’s Morning Brief is brought to you by Forest Products Association of Canada. Our sector has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to local food banks, hospitals, women’s shelters, and more. We have also provided frontline workers with masks and gear, respirators, sanitizers, and tissue supplies. #ForestryTogether – it’s what we do. Learn more here.

Good morning, readers.

If all goes well, May will see the gradual re-opening of selected parts of Canadian economy. It comes after an April that saw Canadians contend with the COVID-19 pandemic and the Nova Scotia killings.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is telling companies to get ready to re-open, as his government released on Thursday 65 safety guidelines for businesses, including office spaces, restaurants and the auto industry.

As the Globe and Mail reports, the premier struck a more optimistic tone than he did earlier this week, when his government released an economic “framework” that contained few specifics and no timelines for when businesses might reopen.

He even said “good news is coming” when asked about garden centres reopening in the province.

“Nothing is better than going to the garden centre, grabbing some plants, going in the backyard and planting the flowers,” he said. “It’s good for mental health.”

As CBC News reports, next week will see the opening of golf courses, as well as the resumption of some non-urgent surgeries and office reopenings for dentists, physiotherapists, speech and respiratory therapists, social workers and dieticians.

Shops, bars and restaurants are to re-open by mid-May. However, Kenney said the plan will be determined by the province’s continued ability to control the spread of the coronavirus and curb the number of COVID-19 patients who need hospital care.

In Quebec, Premier Francois Legault sought to reassure Quebecers that the province isn’t opening up too quickly, while also preparing them to expect a lot more COVID-19-related deaths in the coming days and weeks.

As the Canadian Press reports, Legault’s government plans to reopen schools and retail stores ahead of most other provinces, and he told reporters Thursday that he understands Quebecers are worried about Montreal, where an outbreak is occurring in the northern part of the city and in at least three hospitals.

Businesses are set to reopen in Montreal on May 11, Legault said, adding that if public health authorities determine the city’s hospitals cannot cope with an eventual increase in cases that will come with a loosening of restrictions, he’ll delay his plan.

May 3 marks World Press Freedom Day, as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993. It is a day promoted by UNESCO to assess press freedom around the world and pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives or been imprisoned while pursuing their work.

In advance of Sunday, Kenneth Jackson, a reporter/producer with the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, has been named the winner of the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom’s Press Freedom Award for 2020. He won the honour for his work pursuing critical information on the fate of Indigenous children who died after being placed in care in Ontario.

A privacy breach took place within Global Affairs Canada sometime during 2017-18 that affected a federal minister’s office, new documents show.

The incident warranted a report to Canada’s top privacy watchdog. Global Affairs disclosed the breach as part of a response to an order paper question from NDP MP Charlie Angus, but was sparse on details. The breach was not known to have led to criminal activity.

Three federal ministers are attached to Global Affairs, including the foreign affairs minister, who was Chrystia Freeland at the time, as well as ministers for international development and trade. Victoria Gibson has more.

And with the Liberal government about to introduce plans for new bans on assault rifles in wake of the Nova Scotia killings, other gun control measures passed through Parliament will likely have to wait to be put into force until after a federal budget is passed.

While Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was sparse Thursday on details on what’s to come next, there are still more than 30 amendments to the Firearms Act that are not yet in force, which was passed in Bill C-71 in the previous Parliament. Charlie Pinkerton reports.

Experts say that for the first time since 1998, global poverty will increase. At least a half billion people could slip into destitution by the end of the year. (New York Times)

Bleak new figures Thursday underscored the worldwide economic pain inflicted by the coronavirus: The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits has climbed past a staggering 30 million, while Europe’s economies have gone into an epic slide. (Associated Press)

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was confident the coronavirus may have originated in a Chinese virology lab, but declined to describe the evidence, ratcheting up tensions with Beijing over the origins of the deadly disease. (Reuters)

Former U.S. vice-president Joe Biden is expected to address a recent allegation of sexual assault for the first time on Friday when he appears on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” (Politico)

Nearly 90 per cent of U.S. House of Representatives members have signed a letter urging the Trump administration to increase its diplomatic action at the United Nations to renew an arms embargo on Iran, congressional sources said on Thursday. (Reuters)

Bollywood is reeling from the deaths of two stars in two days. Irrfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor both died this week. However, the coronavirus lockdown in India is ruling out big funerals for either film giants. (NYT)

Cartoon of the Day

Theo Moudakis cartoon

FINALLY

Police in India are using giant tongs to apprehend suspects while maintaining proper social distancing practices.

According to NPR, police in the northern city of Chandigarh tweeted a video of an officer demonstrating how to use a 6-foot pole with a two-pronged claw at the end to detain a suspect.